Consolidated system tray

Abstract

A method for providing a consolidated system tray includes determining a plurality of menu items for displaying in a system tray of a computer operating system, where the plurality of menu items correspond to settings for using the computer operating system. The method also includes determining status of at least one setting corresponding to each of the plurality of determined menu items, and generating a first graphic user interface that combines the determined plurality of menu items and the determined status of the at least one setting corresponding to each of the plurality of determined menu items. The method further includes providing the generated first graphic user interface for display to the user, where each of the plurality of determined menu items displayed in the first graphic user interface is selectable by a user. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for providing a consolidated system tray for a computer operating system, the method comprising:
 determining a plurality of menu items for displaying in a system tray of a computer operating system, wherein the plurality of menu items correspond to settings for using the computer operating system;   determining a status of at least one setting corresponding to each of the plurality of determined menu items;   generating a first graphic user interface that combines the determined plurality of menu items and the determined status of the at least one setting corresponding to each of the plurality of determined menu items; and   providing the generated first graphic user interface for display to the user, wherein each of the plurality of determined menu items displayed in the first graphic user interface is selectable by a user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a user selection from among the plurality of determined menu items of the displayed first graphic user interface;   determining a sub-menu for displaying to the user based on the selected menu item, wherein the sub-menu comprises one or more selectable options associated with the selected menu item;   generating a second user interface for displaying the determined sub-menu; and   providing the generated second user interface for display to the user.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein in the step of providing the generated second user interface for display to the user, the second user interface replaces the displayed first user interface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating a message corresponding to at least one of the displayed menu items and displaying the generated message in place of the displayed menu item corresponding to the generated message. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing a single icon for display to the user; and   receiving a user selection on the displayed single icon;   wherein the first user interface for displaying the plurality of determined menu items to the user is displayed to the user in response to the received user selection on the single icon.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the single icon collectively displays at least one of a battery level, network status, or a thumbnail image associated with the user. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of menu items are determined based on at least one of a predetermined default menu items, system configuration or user activity. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of menu items are determined based on at least a frequency at which the user accesses the settings for using the computer operating system. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising identifying a system configuration associated with the computer operating system, wherein the plurality of menu items are determined based on at least the identified system configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of determined menu items displayed in the first graphic user interface includes menu items for directly adjusting the settings for using the computer operating system. 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising:
 a menu item determination module configured to determine a plurality of menu items for displaying in a system tray of a computer operating system based on at least one of a predetermined default menu items, system configuration or user activity, wherein the plurality of menu items correspond to settings for using the computer operating system;   a status of settings determination module configured to determine a status of at least one setting corresponding to each of the plurality of determined menu items;   a graphic user interface generation module configured to generate a first graphic user interface that combines the determined plurality of menu items and the determined status of the at least one setting corresponding to each of the plurality of determined menu items; and   a graphic user interface display module configured to provide the generated first graphic user interface for display to the user, wherein each of the plurality of determined menu items displayed in the first graphic user interface is selectable by a user.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the menu item determination module is further configured to determine a sub-menu for displaying to the user, in response to receiving a user selection from among the plurality of determined menu items of the displayed first graphic user interface, wherein the sub-menu comprises one or more selectable options associated with the selected menu item;
 wherein the graphic user interface generation module is further configured to generate a second user interface for displaying the determined sub-menu; and   wherein the graphic user interface display module is further configured to provide the generated second user interface for display to the user.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the generated second user interface is provided for display to the user by replacing the displayed first user interface with the second user interface. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a message generation module configured to generate a message corresponding to at least one of the plurality of displayed menu items and a message display module configured to display the generated message in place of the displayed menu item corresponding to the generated message. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the graphic user interface display module is further configured to provide the first user interface for display to the user, in response to a user selection received on a single icon that is provided for display to the user. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the single icon collectively displays at least one of a battery level, network status, or a thumbnail image associated with the user. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of menu items are determined based on at least a frequency at which the user accesses the settings for using the computer operating system. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the menu item determination module is further configured to identify a system configuration associated with the computer operating system, wherein the plurality of menu items are determined based on at least the identified system configuration. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of determined menu items displayed in the first graphic user interface includes menu items for directly adjusting the settings for using the computer operating system. 
     
     
         20 . A machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising:
 determining a plurality of menu items for displaying in a system tray of a computer operating system, wherein the plurality of menu items correspond to settings for using the computer operating system;   determining a status of at least one setting corresponding to each of the plurality of determined menu items;   generating a first graphic user interface that combines the determined plurality of menu items and the determined status of the at least one setting corresponding to each of the plurality of determined menu items;   providing the generated first graphic user interface for display to the user, wherein each of the plurality of determined menu items displayed in the first graphic user interface is selectable by a user;   receiving a user selection from among the plurality of determined menu items of the displayed first graphic user interface;   determining a sub-menu for displaying to the user based on the selected menu item, wherein the sub-menu comprises one or more selectable options associated with the selected menu item;   generating a second user interface for displaying the determined sub-menu; and   providing the generated second user interface for display to the user by replacing the displayed first user interface with the second user interface.